IMEI Registration in Uzbekistan: Rules for Residents and Foreign Nationals

You can find a device's IMEI by dialing *#06# — the code appears on screen. It's also printed on the packaging, in the warranty card, and sometimes on a label under the battery. Dual-SIM devices have two separate IMEI numbers, and both must be registered.

IMEI shouldn't be confused with a phone number or a SIM card's serial number: the code is tied to the device itself and doesn't change when you switch carriers or SIM cards.

The system was rolled out by the then Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Customs Committee, JSC "O'zbekiston Pochtasi," the operator of EPIGU (the Single Portal of Interactive Public Services, my.gov.uz), the industry association "Uzeltехsanoat," mobile carriers, and device manufacturers. The stated goals of the project were to prevent theft and unauthorized use of mobile devices, restrict the circulation of devices that don't meet GSMA standards, and protect the domestic market from counterfeit imports.

• October 22, 2018 — Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 847, "On Measures to Streamline the System for Registering Mobile Devices in the Republic of Uzbekistan," established the project's legal basis.
• April 1, 2019 — Automatic registration began nationwide for IMEI codes of devices already connected to local carrier networks.
• September 17, 2019 — Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 778 approved the detailed procedure, registration channels, and fees.
• November 1, 2019 — Self-service registration went live through UZIMEI operators, post offices, SMS/USSD requests, and the my.gov.uz portal, for devices the automatic process had missed.
• Until December 1, 2019 — Registration remained free for all users; it became a paid service after that date.

As of August 2026, the system held more than 97.8 million registered IMEI codes in total, with another 366,300 in the process of registration at the time the data was reported. The total number of devices blocked over the life of the program reached 20.1 million.

Registration isn't required for devices belonging to foreign nationals who are in Uzbekistan on roaming and don't connect to a local carrier's SIM card.

• Smartphones — 72.5 million registered devices.
• Feature phones — 20.3 million.
• Tablets — 1.4 million.
• Portable devices (routers and modems with a SIM module, for example) — 238,000.
• Other devices — roughly 3,000.

The subscriber number used for registration must be registered with a local carrier in the applicant's own name. This requirement exists to prevent devices from being registered against the personal data of third parties without their knowledge, and it's tied to provisions of the Law "On Personal Data." Once a request is submitted, the system verifies the code, and payment can be made via Payme, Click, Humo, Uzcard, or at a bank — typically within the deadline set after the request is filed.

• Online via BIRDA: review the app's public offer → go to the IMEI registration section → fill out the electronic form with the device's IMEI code (or codes).
• Online via MyGov: register in the app → select the "Mobile Device IMEI Registration" service → fill out the electronic form.
• Online via my.gov.uz: log in to the portal → select the IMEI registration service → enter the device's details.
• In person at a UZIMEI operator: present your passport → present a subscriber number registered in your own name with a local carrier → present the device with its IMEI code (or codes) → fill out the form → pay for the service online or in person.
• At a post office: visit in person with your passport and the phone; the SIM card must be registered to the same passport; if the device arrived by mail, you'll need the stamped shipping invoice.
• Via a USSD request to *1170# or an SMS to 1170.

Tourists using a dedicated tourist SIM card, as well as non-residents on roaming without a local SIM card, can use mobile service without registering an IMEI for up to 60 days. For diplomatic mission staff, registration is arranged through the Diplomatic Corps Service Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which submits the request to the system operator; in this case, registration is processed on a paid basis within three business days.

• Get a local carrier's SIM card with "non-resident" status issued in your own name.
• Present your passport or biometric travel document (for stateless persons).
• Present the mobile device with its IMEI code (or codes) — dial *#06# to find it.
• Fill out the registration form one of three ways: in person at a UZIMEI registrar/operator, at a post office (with passport and phone), or online at uzimei.uz — the site is available to non-residents around the clock.
• Pay the registration fee with an international card (VISA, Mastercard) or a national one (Humo, Uzcard).

Buyers of phones officially brought into the country by importers don't pay a separate IMEI registration fee — the cost is already factored in when the device is imported. The agency has no plans to abolish the fee for other categories of users: as Ahmadjon Orifjonov, head of the press service at the Republican Center for Telecommunications Network Management, explained, making the system free would shift the cost of maintaining it onto the state budget. The funds collected go to the state budget and toward maintaining the system and expanding communications coverage in remote areas.

Anyone bringing a phone across the border personally should declare the device on entry — through the Yo'lovchi deklaratsiyasi (traveler's declaration) app — listing all its IMEI codes. If no declaration was filed on entry, the status of the customs receipt order can be checked and processed on imei.customs.uz: the service shows whether an order has been issued and lets you submit a request using the IMEI number and the owner's document type and number. IMEI registration in the UZIMEI system is only possible once the customs receipt order has been issued or the declaration has been presented.

• Up to $1,000 and no more than two phones — duty-free import by air.
• Up to $500, one phone per six months — duty-free import by rail or river transport.
• Up to $300, one phone per six months — duty-free import by car or on foot.
• 30% of the amount over the limit — the duty owed if a device's value exceeds the threshold.